MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Macri distances himself from Milei

We have not been able to make Milei understand the importance of institutionality, Macri underlined

Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019), whose support was pivotal in the 2023 runoff between Javier Milei and Sergio Massa, further distanced himself Friday from the Libertarian administration during his appearance at the Latin Annual Meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Macri also criticized Milei's decision to appoint Manuel García-Mansilla to the Supreme Court, calling it a rushed move that undermined institutional integrity, thus echoing a mistake he himself made and later retracted. Milei “did it with an exceptional resource that I used at the beginning of my administration. I recognize it. But when I thought about it, I realized that society was not prepared for that, [and] I apologized and withdrew the nomination papers,” he admitted.

While acknowledging Milei’s successes, like averting hyperinflation and reducing the fiscal deficit, Macri argued that a lack of respect for institutions, law, and the Constitution hampers progress and erodes trust.

He emphasized that the PRO has supported Milei’s administration in Congress despite political costs but lamented Milei’s failure to grasp the importance of institutional stability for effective governance.

“The truth is that I was very excited that the change would continue because I really thought that if populism continued with Massa, everything would end very badly,” he stressed.

“Not everything is voluntary. I think there is a fundamental issue of method, and there is a missed opportunity, added to the deterioration of the institutions,” he added.

“The underlying conflict in Argentina is the lack of trust, respect for the law” since “contracts and rules have not been respected for decades, and this has caused the country to go backwards,” he also pointed out.

“This is not solved only by a brilliant mind, which helps, but by a group of people who administer and ensure that institutions are respected and that the Constitution is complied with,” Macri further noted.

“Today, Argentina is under great tension in terms of institutionality”, which overshadows the Government's achievements, such as “avoiding hyperinflation and cutting the fiscal deficit.” However, ”the problem is that we have not been able to make him (Milei) understand the importance of institutionality because without it, there can be no trust,” Macri underlined.